Torn
by lock shock and barrel
Summary: You'll see why it's called Torn later in the story...man have I been gone long...
1. An Unexpected Meeting

Professor Rikkor studied the creature below the viewing deck. He rather disliked standing on the viewing deck. Though the glass was nearly a foot thick, his stomach still lurched at the thought of walking forty feet over a screaming monster. Held fast by chains suspended from the ceiling of the chamber was a glistening black demon, a twenty foot tall screaming death. A crest rose above its head like antlers. The beast sported two sets of spindly arms, though they seemed to have no use. All the beast did all day was lay slime encrusted eggs and yowl. Rikkor was suddenly glad he wasn't the one that had to go and collect the eggs. Though, finding a way to open them and not have the spider-crab inside latch onto your face wasn't much easier. A few deaths had occurred, but the company was being very quiet. They couldn't let bad news seep into the minds of the workers and ruin the business. No, this was too valuable. Too much had been lost to let it go now. Even so, Rikkor shook his head and left for the incubator.

* * *

Melony let out a long sigh, all but collapsing onto the boggy ground. After hiking through a humid, bug infested Indiana Jones rain forest, her entire body felt like it was on fire. "Damn Spaniards," she muttered, stretching her sore legs. Well, really they would be…well what would they be? Puruian? Melony grumbled and got up shakily. The guards to the rainforest, leading up to a small town, had not let her drive her truck up to the town. And one of them muttered to her, "Beware the hunter. The hunter takes no prisoners." Whatever the heck that meant. All she knew was that she had to walk a lot of miles with camping gear and luggage on her back through a maze of green to get to a town in the middle of Nowhere, Peru. "Of all the places, why Peru?" she muttered to herself, slumping inside her makeshift tent. She wasn't planning on doing much hiking anytime soon, so she decided to get comfortable. Hard task in the middle of Indiana Jones Land with a canvas tent and a duffel bag or so. Grabbing her knapsack, Melony grudgingly went to retrieve the rest of her bags from the truck. A burst of blue light blasted by her arm. "What in the!" Melony shrieked, promptly dropping her bag. Another blast and she turned tail to dash back to camp. She only had her hand gun and taser, but it was better than nothing. Whatever was back there, she knew she wasn't going to like it.

The leaves seemed to shimmer in the tree. A form then came into view, dropping to the rain forest floor. The thing was huge, near eight feet tall and twice as wide as any human. Armor covered the creature's chest and shoulders; a metal mask covered its face. Muscles bulged all over the thing's body, a sandy-yellow sort of color. It cursed in an odd language, approaching the knapsack. It kneeled down to inspect what was inside. Reaching in, it pulled out something made of a thin, flimsy metal. Something was inside. Sniffing the object, the creature figured it was food of some sort. Grains and honey, perhaps. What an interesting combination. Intrigued, it searched for other articles. Another metal thing, a hard cylinder. How strong was it? The creature tossed it into the air and shot at it with the caliber on its shoulder. The cylinder exploded, showering the creature with dark, fizzing liquid. Annoyed, the creature hissed. Something else caught its attention. A shiny bit of paper. With humans on it, frozen in time. A tall male, a smaller female, a young male, and a human pup. The creature emitted a clicking noise. So the human he had shot at was female. Dishonorable. At least she had not been hurt. Looking at the paper, he saw the male was taller than the female. Opposite from his own kind. He cocked his head. Why was the female alone? Shouldn't she be caring for the pup? Perhaps ways of life were opposite, as well. What a confusing race the humans were…

Melony watched, petrified, as the beast searched her knapsack. She was going to need something better than a hand gun, but she hoped it would stall long enough for her to get to her truck. Hiding behind an enormous tree, she slowly stepped forward._ Snap._ A branch snapped under her boot and the creature looked up immediately. Still holding what it had been looking at, the creature marched over to Melony. The giant grabbed her neck with a brawny arm and studied her over. Melony's shaking hands dropped the gun. She whimpered in fear as the beast examined her through the emotionless mask. "Please," Melony whispered, her voice wavering, "if you're going to kill me, make it fast…"

The creature looked back at the shiny paper. He recognized the female as the same one that was babbling now. Glancing between the paper and the woman, he figured she may want the paper back. He let her go and handed over the paper to the woman, who was on the verge of tears. _I did not think oomans would be so weak_, he thought to himself, watching the female drip water from her eyes.

Melony could not help it. The sight of her family, alive and well. Happy. Together. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed before the great beast. She looked up at the creature, who seemed to be studying her. Finally, he pointed to himself, and gruffly said, "Va'nat'san." He pointed to Melony. She shook her head. "Va'nat'san," the creature said again, pointing to himself, then at Melony. The human babbled something in her language.

"May'on'ee?" Va'nat'san said, pointing at the human. The tiny female shook her head. Va'nat'san was getting annoyed. The human babbled again.

"Mae'lon'ee?" he guessed again. Distraught as she was, the human nodded. She attempted to figure out the creature's name, but her attempt was in vain. Instead, she pointed to the creature's hand and babbled something.

"Four Claw," Melony repeated, gesturing to the reptilian hand. Va'nat'san studied his hand reflexively. Indeed, the last digit was absent.

"Frr Claugh," Va'nat'san growled. It was not his name, but he supposed it was suitable. Noticing the paper again in Melony's hand, Va'nat'san was suddenly interested in who the others were. He looked at the paper, head tilted to the side.

"What?" Melony backed up a bit, hitting the tree behind her. "This?" She waved the paper. Va'nat'san nodded. Melony held out the paper for him to see. Using a clawed finger, the creature pointed to the first figure.

"John," Melony told him, starting to tear up again. Va'nat'san moved his finger to the smaller male.

"Luke." By the time Va'nat'san had gotten to the human pup, Melony's voice was a whisper.

"Marie…" Melony shuddered. She remembered how quickly they had gone. They had been on a road trip to Colorado, quite a long way from their home in Massachusetts. Passing through Ohio, they were hit head on by a car being pursued by the police. Both vehicles severed off the road, flipping over. The man in the other car was able to get away. The police were close behind, first stopping to assist Melony's family. The crash had instantly killed Luke; John suffered broken ribs and a near-broken neck. Marie had been sent into shock and remained silent. Only Melony had gotten out with only a gash on her head. She shook and sobbed, even as the police helped her out and tried to calm her. Paramedics soon arrived, carrying the others out of the totaled car. All that was in Melony's mind was the argument that had been going on between the family not but ten minutes before they were hit. They had gone angry at each other…

As Melony broke down in front of the behemoth, she had a moment of realization.

"Huh, great. Now I'm talking to some…alien that I can't understand and I don't know where the heck it's from!"

"Huh, great. Now I'm talking to some…alien that I can't understand and I don't know where the heck it's from!" Melony heard something repeat her phrase. She realized it was her own voice, coming from the alien. The giant titled his head once more before vanishing into the rain forest. Melony stood blinking stupidly, having no idea where the huge thing could have gone. Looking around, she figured she wouldn't see it again. "I need to get out of this place…

* * *

**Author Note: So...There's my first chapter. I have somewhat of a plot, don't worry. It may take me a while to update and stuff. I'm new here. That's all I have to blabber about.**


	2. A New Ally

**Author Note: I probably should have done some research before writing this...I have no idea what the names of towns are in Peru, and I don't know if there are rainforests there, either. But it's South America, and I have one brain cell working right now. **

* * *

Night had finally set over the rain forest. The only light came from Melony's canvas tent. She was sitting on her cot, observing the picture. Life taken so quickly. She prayed Marie would make it through in the hospital. She had been in a coma for so long…_Beep_. Melony snapped her head up and glanced around. _Beep_. The sound came from her compact dresser. _Beep_. Her cell phone. Who knew how she got reception out here…She opened the phone to receive her voice mail. 

"Melony? You there? Why you no answer?"

"She's not there, you dumb ass. Leave a message."

"Ooooh. Ja, Melony? Is Haan. You need to meet me and Millings at…in one week, in ze town. Need to talk about what school for you to visit." Melony gave a small laugh. Working with a dense foreigner may not have been helpful, but it brightened her up. Hmmm… One week? She would need to do some heavy hiking. "These kids must be worse than I thought," she joked to herself. Ever since the accident, she had become more involved with her job in educating students on crime. She sighed again. It was so hard to forget…Needing some air, she stepped outside.

The air wasn't very refreshing. It felt like breathing in air from a gym in the summer. She gagged. Even in her camisole and shorts she was sweating. A small amount of light was emitted from the crescent moon above her, so thin it looked like a grinning mouth. Melony suddenly felt a presence behind her. She spun around. No one. Spinning back around, she yelped. An enormous, scaly hand covered her mouth. A hand with only four fingers. When Melony calmed down, the hand left her mouth. Standing before her was Four Claw, as she called him. And standing rather close, too. Melony was forced to crane her head to see Four Claw's masked face.

"Mae'lon'ee," he clicked, placing his hand on Melony's shoulder.

* * *

"So…why did you come back?" Melony asked, looking at the alien that was sitting on the floor of her tent. She wasn't even sure if he understood anything she said. Four Claw did not answer, instead he looked at a picture on the dresser. 

"Jawn," he rumbled.

"Like hearing yourself talk?"

Four Claw gave a low click in reply, almost like a purr.

"Alright…Why are you here?"

Four Claw cocked his head, possibly in thought.

"Hunt," he muttered.

"Hunting what?" Melony wasn't sure if she liked where this was going. Four Claw paused. He then pointed at Melony and spread out his arms. When Melony didn't respond, he repeated the sign.

"Humans?"

The alien nodded slowly. Melony backed up on her cot. Trying to comfort her, Four Claw pointed to her again and shook his head, clinking the metal bands that held his dreadlocks together. Melony didn't feel much safer, but relaxed a bit.

"Then…why did you come back?"

Unsure, the alien lowered his head in thought. "Learn," he said at last. _I have gone mad_, he thought_, asking to learn of ooman ways. What has come over me?_ But even he could not answer that.

* * *

Melony's eyelids fluttered. She blinked a few times, trying to focus on what was right in front of her face. "Oh my!" she jolted up, but was pushed back down into a laying position. "Oh, it's you," she muttered, seeing the metal mask of Four Claw. Slowing her breathing, Melony sat up. Four Claw was kneeling on the floor, still eye level with Melony. Still as inquisitive as before, Four Claw reached out to look at the locket around Melony's neck. Melony hesitated, but opened the locket. Recognizing the picture inside, Four Claw spoke: "Maw-ree." 

"She's such a pretty girl…" Melony whispered, closing the locket.

"Pritty grrl…"

Being lazy, and not particularly wanting to undress in front of the alien, Melony had simply put a tee-shirt over her camisole and wore her sleep shorts outside. Four Claw seemedintrigued with everything Melony did. His purrs and clicks were frequent; Melony assumed it was curiosity. Stepping outside, she grumbled. She would have to take down the tent again and repack everything.

"Rrr…" a rumble came from Four Claw. He was busy unwrapping the candy in Melony's knapsack.

"Stop that," Melony said firmly, taking the bag. She felt like she was scolding a child. A big, growling child. "I need to pack up camp. You aren't helping." Putting the bag down next to her duffel bags. That reminded her. She still had to pick up the rest of her bags. "No way. I'm not carrying one more thing. I can get to Haan and Millings without all my crap."

With that, Melony dragged her cot and dresser outside with some help from Four Claw. Actually a lot of help. He could easily _lift_ both things. After collapsing them into more portable forms, she worked on taking down the tent. She pried out the stakes and watched the canvas float down into the muddy ground. It was only ten in the morning, and she already felt tired. A grand way to start off a day of hiking.

"Slow…down!" Melony called between panting breaths. She had nearly been running the whole of the afternoon trying to keep up with Four Claw's gait. And dragging along about a million bags wasn't helping. A growl came from Four Claw. He was obviously annoyed, but halted to let Melony catch up.

"Let's just take a break," Melony breathed, dropping her bags and herself on the ground. Four Claw also set down what he had been carrying. Trying to slow her breathing, Melony closed her eyes and leaned back against the duffel bags. A short nap wouldn't hurt...

* * *

Melony yawned. Rubbing at her eyes, she examined her watch. "Oh, shit!" She had overslept. She glanced around frantically. Four Claw was not there. She jumped to her feet. Too quickly. They collapsed under her. Cursing, she scrambled up and ran off in search of the alien. 

Starting to sob and gasp for breath in anxiety, Melony sunk down. Not only had she lost a human-hunting giant, she had managed to lose herself in a neverending maze of jungle.

"Rrr..."

"You jerk! You just ran off and-" Melony had spun around to face the source of the growl. Before her crouched a golden figure, peppered in black spots. Huge fangs were bared at her, a clawed paw reached forward. The jaguar folded his legs to prepare his leap. He had eaten nothing in days, and right before him stood a harmless, fresh meal. Watching the petrified thing back up, the jaguar's rump rose up and his shoulders hunched, ready to kill. The human could go nowhere. Jaws slavering, the jaguar leapt. Melony shrieked, raising her arms instinctivly as the killer launched itself into the air. In midair, the large cat was blasted in the chest. Screaming again, Melony ducked. Another blast of blue energy hit the jaguar, sending the cat to writhing and screaming. The jungle seemed to come to life, dragging the jaguar away. Still shivering, Melony looked around. Nothing. She stood up shakily. She had nearly been killed...Twice!

"Mae'lon'ee."

Melony, her strength suddenly back, whipped around to find Four Claw. She found nothing. "Stop hiding, you jack ass!"

She was suddenly grabbed from behind and lifted up. There was a hiss, and Four Claw became visible. Melony was dropped swiftly onto the ground, knocking the windout of her. She glared at the monster towering over her. "Where were you, huh? Why didn't you help me?"

Four Claw simply gave a click and turned to leave. Not wanting to be lost again, Melony quickly jumped up and followed him. Hopefully back to where the bags were.

* * *

**Another Author Note: Alright. So, I just noticed that unless Melony is from somewhere foriegn, I've been spelling the name wrong. However, I think it will be confusing to change it after two chapters of using it, so too bad for me. My head was filled with like, dead fish at the time I wrote this. Oh, and before I forget...Predators and Aliens are not copyright me, but Melony and Va'Nat'San are. Alright, I'll have chapter three next.**


	3. An Understanding

"Rikkor! Hurry up, we haven't got all day!"

Professor Rikkor rolled his eyes but picked up the pace to get to the incubator.

"What have you been doing, anyway? Besides not helping."

"I was examining the Queen."

"Mazel Tov. Now get over here and help open these eggs."

Rikkor shuffled over to the examining table, on it a large, slime encrusted egg. It was his turn to open it. He prayed the spawn of Satan spider wouldn't latch onto his face. Then later having a worm break through his ribs. Shuddering, Rikkor selected a large rabbit from its pen. The rabbit was merely unconscious, for the spider-crabs would only take live hosts. Rikkor held the rabbit by the scruff of the neck in front of the egg. His arm started to ache under the weight of the rabbit. When the egg slowly opened, the rest of the team stepped back. In a flash, the demonic spider grabbed onto the rabbit's face, nearly tearing off Rikkor's arm. He let go in time so that the spider only had the rabbit, its tail wrapped around the mammal's neck. Everyone looked away, not caring to see what would happen. Of all the things he had done in his practice, Rikkor never thought he would see the day when he would have to assist in murder.

* * *

Walking behind Four Claw, she could see a splatter of fluorescent green across his back. The green liquid dripped from the alien's shoulders, oozing from deep gashes. Blood. Melony could see there was much to learn about her new acquaintance...Upon returning to their resting spot, Melony gave a long sigh and slumped down onto the bags. She felt a small vibration. "What the-" she jumped. "Oh..." Digging through the bags, she fumbled to open her cell phone. 

"Hey Mel."

"Oh hi Millings. What's up?"

"Besides the sky, nothing. Haan was gonna call, but he can't figure out how to use the phone."

"Big surprise. What did he want?"

"Not much. Just wanted to see how far along you were."

"I'd say still a few miles from town. They wouldn't let me bring in my truck."

"Well, change of plans. You need to be here tomorrow. There's been some cases of poaching, and they want us to investigate. Big fine, poaching gives."

"Great. My legs are about to fall off."

"No pain no gain."

"Well, you can't get a black eye without being hit in the face, huh?" Melony joked drily, hanging up the phone. Four Claw purred and looked over Melony's shoulder at the phone. _What an interesting device_, he thought. He had seen the human babbling into it, another, quieter voice answering.

"More hiking. Oh joy, oh rapture." Melony grumbled and slung the duffel bags from her sore shoulders. A portion of the weight was suddenly relieved. Four Claw grabbed some of the bags, along with the cot and dresser. "Thanks," Melony grinned painfully.

"Rrr..."

"Can't you say anything else?"

"Pritty grrl..."

Meloney sighed and fell silent. There was a lot of hiking ahead...

* * *

Kamyzs held the shuddering rabbit, trying to calm it as best she could. 

"Why do you even bother, Kamyzs? It's gonna die," commented Shroeder, keeping his distance from the spasming rabbit. Rikkor simply sat quietly, watching as Kamyzs pet the creature. In only a few minutes, the rabbit would be a bloody mess, shattered by the worm inside. Feeling his stomache lurch, Rikkor looked away.

"Shroeder, make yourself useful and get the cage ready," commanded Kamyzs. Grumbling, Shroeder dragged the German shepherd-sized cage over to where Kamyzs was seated. Kamyzs gently placed the rabbit inside. By now the poor animal was shaking in pain, its chest pulsing. It ran wildly around the cage until blood leaked from its mouth. A fist sized lump had grown on the rabbit's chest, throbbing. The team looked away until they heard a cracking, tearing sound. A squeal. A shriek. It was over...

* * *

"Can't...go on..." Melony dropped to the ground. Her entire body ached and burned. She could not go on. Four Claw, however, didn't seem to be tired at all. In fact he seemed annoyed that Melony refused to continue. Though he had no idea where they were going, giving up was not in his nature. He growled shoving Melony with his foot. The woman moaned. But she obeyed. Being on the edge of a stony ravine, Melony half slipped, half fell down the side and into the pebbled bottom. Off to the left was a deeper portion, filled with water running from a waterfall. The waterfall was small and cascaded from a rocky ledge above. All Melony wanted to do was jump into the pool. Setting down the bags, she turned to Four Claw. "I'm gonna relax here a bit. You can go do whatever it is you do." She made a shooing motion with her hand and the giant dropped the bags he had been carrying. His form rippled and vanished. Melony could see only his movement against the rocky wall as he climbed up with ease. Melony stretch her tired muscles and ambled over to the pool. It was about four feet deep with large rocks covering the bottom. It looked almost man made, save for the rough sides and obvious erosion. Glancing around to be sure no one was near, Melony discarded her clothing and slipped into the pool. The water was ice cold and sent a chill up her spine. After a few minutes she felt soothed, relaxed. Her legs curled under her and her arms draping over the sides of the pool, Melony started to drift off into some much needed sleep. Through her sagging eyelids, Melony caught movement from behind the small waterfall. _Of course there's something moving, it's a waterfall_, she told herself, annoyed. But she was sure she had seen something...The water suddenly stopped its downward flow and instead flowed _over_ a form that had stepped through. Four Claw. Melony let out a sound of shock, bringing her legs up to her chest. Four Claw, soaking with water, merely cocked his head at the frightened Melony. Four Claw knew hardly any of the human language, but he wanted to calm the woman. 

"Do not...be afraid. Not...hurt," he growled in a raspy voice, extending an arm. Melony only attempted to get farther away. Still determined, Four Claw climbed into the shallow pool, the water barely coming up to his thighs. Melony gave a small squeak, her hands grasping her legs tightly. Four Claw approached the cowering woman, gently purring. He once more outstretched an arm, using his scaly fingers to pet Melony's cheek. "Pritty grrl..." he rumbled. Melony felt only fear when she stared at the emotionless mask, deep blackness staring back. She promptly jumped up, water spilling everywhere, and grabbed her clothes. Watching the human run off, Four Claw felt slightly annoyed. All he did made her run, as if...Four Claw gave a soft rumble, almost like a sigh..._As if he were a monster_...

* * *

**Author note: Oy! I FINALLY got this chapter done. What with school and such...Man. Anyhow, here it is. The next chapter is for you xeno fans out there. Mostly, anyway. Gotta sneak Four Claw and Melony in there. :) Oh, and FYI, I shan't be here for a week-ish. Goin' to San Fransisco. Ha ha!**


	4. An Escape

Kamyzs tapped her foot in annoyance, checking her watch frequently. Rikkor paced around the room, head seeming to be in the clouds.

"Rikkor, where the Hell is-"

The door flew open, revealing a panting, sweating Shroeder. Before Kamyzs had time to tell him what an idiot he was, he cried out, "Hurry, in the lower level!"

"Shroeder, what in Hell are you talking about?" Kamysz demaned, now slightly worried. Shroeder was not one to be afraid; he was not phased by the rabbits being torn apart by the worms, nor was he frightened when the bugs slammed against their glass cages in fury, screaming. And now he was shivvering, drenched in perspriation. He swallowed and spoke again.

"In the lower level. One of the experiments has escaped."

"_What_?"

"We need to hurry, there's still time before anyone goes down there."

"Shroeder!" Kamyzs was near screeching at the scientist, backing him into a corner.

"You guys, shut up and let's get down there!" RIkkor snapped. The two looked at him as though he had grown another head. Rikkor was very reserved, rarely spoke out. This was enough to make them break up their quarrel and grab tranquilizers, heading for the lower level. All of them were afraid; the bugs were not much smarter than animals, but their strength was obvious. And whenever they broke out, they always headed for the same place: the queen's chamber.

The first thing she noticed was that she could see. Yes, see. Look out and take in forms. It was unlike any sensation. But Mother was not there. She heard Mother's cries, her screams. She would find Mother. Once the drones were freed, they would create a nest, and Mother could birth the young facehuggers. They would have a hive larger than ever before. Yes...But what was this? She sniffed the air. Meat. Hiding behind mechanical equipment, she lay in wait. They would come...

"Alright, Shroeder. Where is it?"

"I dunno, it was here just a-"

A black flash suddenly pinned Shroeder to the floor. The bug had found its mark. Screaming, it clawed at the man's flesh, tail whipping in the air. The darts could hardly pierce the chitin armour, but at last the bug fell. Kamyzs and Rikkor pulled Shroeder away, the scientist soaked in cold sweat and twitching. With the help of his comrades, Shroeder shakily got into the evevator and pushed the button for the fifth floor.

"What...what was the experiement again?" breathed Rikkor.

"Sight," Shroeder answered solmnly, stare blank and cold.

Retiring to their rooms for the night, the elevators were packed with scientists trying to get to the dormitory level. Rikkor, Kamyzs and Shroeder were crammed into the back of one, crushed by the mass of flesh. And quite a few of the other riders were rather plump. Once they had gotten out of the elevator, they walked together to their rooms.

"Y'know, I kinda miss my old job. I could go home at night, see my wife and children," Rikkor said longingly.

"Or party all night long," Shroeder added develishly. The two others rolled their eyes.

"Well, good-night," said Rikkor as he turned into his room and closed the door.

"Well, Shroeder, are you gonna sleep okay tonight? Afraid of the big bad bug?" Kamyzs teased.

"Yeah, can you stay with me tonight, Mommy?" Shroeder joked back. He recieved a scolding grin from Kamyzs. But she follwed him into his room anyway, once the hallways had been cleared.

"You'd better not let any more bugs break out; I need my sleep." Kamyzs attempted to be serious, but it was all but impossible when hanging about Shroeder.

"Don't worry, I'll be a good boy," Shroeder grinned.

* * *

Melony had tried to stay quite far ahead of Four Claw; after their..."encounter", she was wary of the giant. He still carryed a few of her bags, but she wouldn't mind if she lost him. The beast was making her so uncomfortable. Heaving her bags onto the ground, she cried out, "Finally!" They had reached the edge of the town. Millings was right; this town was piss poor. Tiny, too. She wondered how he and Haan had found a suitable hotel. Four Claw came up behind her, setting down his share of bags. She suddenly realized something. "Oh...um, Four Claw? I know it's gonna be for a while, but you can't come with. There are other humans here, and, well..." Four Claw merely cocked his head to the side and rumbled. Melony, running her fingers through her tawny hair, spoke again. "Look, see that town?" She pointed forward. "There are people in it. And you're not too hard to miss, so you need to stay in the jungle, understand? You stay here." Four Claw looked out at the town. A human village. The human female was babbling something to him that he did not comprehend. But he knew enough that he could not be seen by the other humans. And so, with a metallic click and a hiss, he faded from view, leaving only a ripple in the foliage. The human female jumped back in surprise, but smiled. She picked up the bags and headed into town. Four Claw followed, trying to be as silent as possible. His mind started to wonder why the human female seemed so frightened of him. Especially now, after he had seen her in the pool. She knew he would not harm her, so why did she always shy away? Why?

Shoving open the front door with her back, Melony nearly dropped to the floor of the hotel's restaurant. And no one probably would have noticed; at this time, most people were napping, out of the afternoon heat. Haan and Millings got up from their table to help her, and gave her a seat at the table.

"So, how was the trip?" Millings asked, knowing he would get an explosive answer.

"Hell. I had to walk that whole jungle. My legs are gonna fall off."

"Ah, dun worry. Soon you be sleep een nice soft bed," Haan assured her. But Melony simply groaned and let her head fall to the table. Meanwhile, Four Claw stood near the table, hidden from view, totally silent.

* * *

Shroeder's eyes fluttered and he looked about his room. The sun was just creeping in through the windows, splaying on the floor. He slipped out of bed and dressed, smoothing his hair and brushing his teeth. Kamyzs slept on, her breathing clearly heard by Shroeder. Walking over to her, he tried to wake her up.

"Come on, get up. The night's over. Time to greet the day." He shook her until he was greeted by a grumble. Kamyzs turned over onto her stomach and buried her face in the pillow. Shroeder had hardly let her sleep. Now she felt like shit. But there was no point of trying to get back to sleep, she she crawled from the bed and slowly put on her clothes. After splashing her face with cold water she was more awake, but still in a horrible mood. Today was not going to be a good day...

* * *

Near five in the morning Melony finally dragged her belongings into her hotel room, followed by a very pissed Four Claw. Millings and Haan had talked until dinnertime, at which point they ordered their food and waited on hour for it to come and took forever to eat. Four Claw had been sitting there for hours on end, doing nothing. Now he stomped about the room, growling and clicking angrily. Melony thought about apologizing, but she didn't want to annoy him further. Slumping into an easy chair, she quickly drifted into sleep. Four Claw sat upon the bed, watching her until fatigue took over him, as well. Laying down on the bed, Four Claw began to sleep lightly, his body savoring the break.

* * *

**Gaaaaaah! -pulls out hair- Sorry to anyone who was reading. My computer totally asploded, and I've not been able to get on for a while. But now, I should be getting out some more chapters. A big sorry again, and I hope you haven't forgotten me.**


	5. A New Knowledge

Melony awoke to a rough shake, causing her to fall from her chair. A growl was heard and she was helped up. Stretching, Melony checked her watch. Trying to refrain from uttering profanity, she quickly attempted to tame the tangles in her hair and put on some clothes. Only the first day on the job and already she was late. Rushing out of the room, she had forgotten all about Four Claw. However, he did not follow. He was interested in this place, and intended to look about. He saw Mae'lon'ee had not unpacked her bags, as they still lay zippered on the floor. He was quite sure he already knew their contents, and did not wish to make the human angry if he made a mess of her belongings. Besides, there were other things to do. But what? For once in his life he actually felt bored. Normally he was just like every other hunter, always ready for action. But there was none here. Looking around the room, he saw a picture standing on the dresser. It was the same one that he had seen in Mae'lon'ee's tent. The one of the human male, Jawn. Her mate, he surmised. Four Claw examined the picture. Of course, humans were never attractive, but some were not so revolting as the rest. Mae'lon'ee was one. And her mate another. The human's tresses were tawny, like his mate's, but cut short. His skin was dark, his eyes blue. No, he was not such an ugly human. He could see why Mae'lon'ee had chosen him as a mate. Yet she seemed so sad to think of her mate, water came to her eyes. A puzzlement. And perhaps he would never know. For he and Mae'lon'ee were of two different worlds, and always would be. _So why have I become her ally? How can I possibly Hunt when an ooman stands by my side?_ Placing the picture back where it was, Four Claw sat upon the bed for a moment. Never had he thought for so long and so deeply. But maybe change was good. Had he not said to Mae'lon'ee he wanted to learn? As a human hunter knows the ways of his prey, knowing its every trait and antic, so would Four Claw. He would learn what he could about the humans, learn their ways. When he returned, surely then Mae'lon'ee would not remember him and he could Hunt without anything slowing him down. Yet this saddened him in a way. He had grown attached to the human, as a child grows attached to his pet. The thought of not seeing the human again was a confusing one. But it could not be; for she was a human. And he...he was a beast...

* * *

"It's about time you got here," commented Millings.

"Sorry..." Melony grumbled, not having any insults to shoot back.

"Well, let's go. We need to investigae these poaching incidents before no one cares anymore."

Millings lead Haan and Melony further into the jungle, walking the path she had taken just a day before with Four Claw. When they climbed down the ravine, passing the pool, she shuddered a bit. That had not been a pleasant time. Past the ravine now, Millings stopped treking and began to search among the foliage.

"Come over here!" he shouted, beckoning the two over to a spot. Melony nearly wretched when she saw what it was. It was a corpse, skinned, infested with flies. Its head was deformed, and where its spine should have been there was an empty strip. Holding her breath, Melony spoke.

"What is it?"

"A jaguar, I think," answered Millings.

"Yah, is big spotty cat," Haan agreed, getting closer to the carcass.

"But...who could have done this?" Melony asked, trying to keep down the contents of her stomach.

"I haven't a clue. The thing is skinned, like it normally would be, but its skull and spine are gone. And look," Millings pointed, "it has a hole the size of my fist through it."

Melony had a rather bad memory come to her. The jaguar...could it be?

"Well, I don't even know why we're here. I mean, how can we track a poacher through all this?" Melony gestured toward the thick mass of trees. Millings shrugged and Haan was too engrossed in the dead cat to listen. Suddenly remembering Four Claw, Melony shuddered to think what he might be doing...

* * *

Despite his logic, Four Claw listened to his temptations and ransacked Mae'lon'ee's bags. Inside one he had found a stacks of pictures, held together by a bit of metal. These pictures were of other humans, none of the ones in Mae'lon'ee's pictures. Writing was also within these stacks, but he could not decifer much of it. Ones that showed up a lot in these were such like "beauty", "fashion", and "love". He hadn't the vaguest idea what "fashion" was, but beauty and love he could grasp. Humans obviously had different standards of beauty. As for love...he was not sure. From what he could tell, it was a strong feeling between mates. In some of the pictures he had seen females embracing males, holding each other tightly. And they seemed happy. But why had Mae'lon'ee seemed so distraught when she saw the picture of her mate? Why was she not happy? This question started to irritate Four Claw, and he put the pictures back into their bag. Seeing Mae'lon'ee unhappy somehow dampened his mood as well. What was wrong with him? Confused and annoyed he lay down on the bed, waiting for Mae'lon'ee.

* * *

Melony opened the door to her hotel room and found Four Claw sitting on her bed patiently.

"I need to sleep there, you know."

But he merely purred and cocked his head. It was starting to annoy her, his constant gesture of curiousity.

"Move, I want to lie down." She tried to shoo him away from the bed but with no prevail. Giving up, she climbed onto the bed and curled up at the head. Four Claw turned around so he was facing her and purred again.

"Jawn," he growled softly. Melony sat up slowly, her eyes beginning to tear. She was in total shock when Four Claw drew near, arms locked around her and drawing her near. Sobbing softly, she rested her head on his arm. Never would she had thought to be recieving comfort from a demon, and yet she had been proved wrong. _If only it could have been so when John said we were going to crash..._

_

* * *

_

**Aaw, how cute. I think Four Claw likes her. Anyhow...more to come.**


End file.
